http://www.michigan.gov/corrections/0,1607,7-119-1381_1387—,00.html

My question is this: if a significant proportion of prisoners are from, say, Detroit; wouldn't it be more cost effective to have the prisons closer to where the "scene of the crime" is, so to say? I am just guessing, though; when I suggest the Detroit is where most of the crime occurs. I'm sure there is plenty elsewhere, but allow me to make that linkage, even if it is only a mere hunch.

Neither can I claim to have any knowledge of how all those other prisons were located where they are now, either. Again, working from a hunch, I'd suspect the state wanted to spread the benefits of its social programs around the state; and did not want to make Detroit look any more than a penal colony than it already is.

I'm just sending up a trial balloon for reducing prison costs by gradually re-configuring the system geographically to reduce costs. Who knows, maybe having prisoners serve their time "close to home" will reduce recidivism, and would also result in a 5-10 percent reduction in costs.

I sure hope someone better informed than I has thought about this already. Hope this post illicits heat and light.

However, there is no reason to ever exploit government for abundant personal gain when the population is suffering financially.

State and local employees should Not be being paid salaries/benefits at a high level when the entire private sector has dropped wages and merit increases and any inflationary increases to zero because of statewide economic, employment, and financial problems.

As for cost savings. Is it a Stretch to ask if the Local ->County/City/Township/Village services and goods that are routinely purchased in small quantities from different vendors/sources and varied brands that can instead be purchased by the State to utilize economies of scale for statewide cost savings from volume purchasing of products, consistent quality, centrally delivered, distributed, and directed.
Anything that can be done to organize our Michigan communities requirements that wont harm our state's security or other needs, could be a big cost savings for the state and local communities. either easing budgets or possibly reducing property taxes.

To comply with that mandate governments build infrastructure (roads, sewers), provide public safety services, collect the taxes to pay for it all and secure the identification of private property.

Doing anything beyond that mandate, is beyond the scope of government work.

For "public safety" we put a lot of our fellow citizens in jail for actions we have defined as crimes.

In order to reduce costs maybe we could take a hard look at why we put people away to insure that the reason for incarceration is based on factual data and is really in the interest of public safety. Don't assume that the value systems justifiying our actions are based in civilized human principles; or that the rationale for incarceration is a factual one.